1. Field of the Invention
2. Discussion of Background and Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,976, and its divisional applications, disclosed a mobile cyclonic power wash machine that includes a water reclamation system and a rotary union that functions and has the structural integrity to survive in the operating environment of this machine. This machine operates at a rotary speed of about 2,000 rpm and water pressure of about 4,500 psi. Prior to the introduction of machines of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,976 (xe2x80x9cthe ""976 patentxe2x80x9d), water dispensing cyclone surface cleaning machines operated at slower revolutionary speeds and lower pressures. The ""976 patent includes a vacuum system carried by the component carrying vehicle that functioned to retrieve water that had been sprayed on the surface to be cleaned along with debris from the surface. The vacuum retrieval system of this machine was satisfactory, however, it has low efficiency and does not retrieve all the water that is dispensed. Also, this machine was susceptible to damage from heavy retrieved objects such as stones and bolts.
The component carrying vehicle of the ""976 patent carried a water storage means for holding the water to be used for cleaning, a water pumping system for pumping and pressurizing the water from the storage means and a water heater for heating the water. Water from this storage means is pumped under pressure to the cyclone sprayer which sprayed the water onto the surface to be sprayed. The cyclone sprayer includes a mobile base and a handle to allow an operator to move the sprayer over the surface to be cleaned. The water and debris that is picked up by the vacuum retrieval system is directed to a water reclamation system that is carried by the component carrying vehicle. The water reclamation system included a filtration tank to which the vacuum source was connected. The filtration tank included a downward sloping receiving trough for catching large debris. At the lower end of the downward sloping trough, there is a screen through which the liquid passes into a settling tank that includes a series of cascading chambers. The water successively fills each chamber and then flows over to the next adjacent chamber, such that some debris and particles present in the water are deposited in the chamber and cleaner water is passed to the next chamber. The cleaned water from the last chamber is then transported to the water storage means where it is available for reuse by the cyclone sprayer.
The ""976 patent is hereby incorporated by reference as a part of this application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,396 (xe2x80x9cthe ""396 patentxe2x80x9d), which is a divisional application of the ""976 patent, discloses a rotary union through which water under high pressure can flow for sustained periods from a non-rotating conduit to a conduit rotating at high speed without developing leaks.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,601,659 and 5,718,015 disclose a method and apparatus for use with the machine of the type disclosed in the ""976 patent of placing a polypropylene filled bag in the chamber of the cascading settling tank for absorbing hydrocarbons suspended in or floating on the reclaimed water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,298 (xe2x80x9cthe ""298 patentxe2x80x9d), which issued on Oct. 27, 1998, discloses an improvement to the machine disclosed in the ""976 patent. The ""298 patent has replaced the vacuum system that retrieved water and debris with a power driven retrieval rotor having curved blades that functions as a fan to pick-up the water sprayed to the surface to be cleaned along with the debris from the surface being cleaned. The retrieved water is collected in a tank carried by the cyclone sprayer and a positive displacement pump, carried by the cyclone sprayer, functions to convey the retrieved material to the reclamation system carried by the component carrying vehicle. In the machine disclosed in the ""298 patent, centrifugal force developed by the high rotating speeds causes the curved blades to straighten and thus elongate. This causes the free ends of the blades to interfere with the disk-shaped shroud. Also, the curved blades were susceptible to damage by heavy debris, such as rocks and bolts, that was picked up by the driven rotor.
The ""298 patent is hereby incorporated by reference as a part of this application.
This application relates to a power wash and reclamation machine for cleaning flat surfaces. High pressure water is directed at the surface to be cleaned from nozzles located at the periphery of a rotating pick-up member that is mounted for rotation centrally of a disc-shaped housing of the cyclone sprayer. The periphery of the disc-shaped housing is formed with an annular channel. The cyclone sprayer includes a spindle formed from stainless steel that is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis centrally thereof. A driven portion of the spindle extends through the disc-shaped housing such that it is located externally of and above the housing. A longitudinally extending bore is formed in the spindle from its upper driven portion toward its lower portion along the spindle""s longitudinal axis. This longitudinally extending bore does not extend through the bottom end of the spindle. A power source is connected to the driven portion to rotate the spindle relative to the housing. The spindle includes a hub contained within the housing that is located at the lower portion of the spindle. There are a plurality of radially extending bores normal to the spindle""s longitudinal axis formed in the hub. Some of these radially extending bores intersect with and open into the longitudinally extending bore of the spindle. The remainder of the radially extending bores stop short of the longitudinally extending bore and, thus, there is no fluid communication between these bores and the longitudinally extending bore. A straight rod is received in each of the radially extending bores, extends outwardly and terminates in the annular channel formed in the periphery of the housing. Curved blades are connected to the spindle hub and to the free end of a straight rod. The outer ends of the curved blades are shaped to closely fit into the annular channel formed in the housing. In a first embodiment, braces are provided at the mid-points of the curved blades that connect to the associated straight rod. The centrifugal force, generated as a result of the rotation of the rotating pick-up member, is not effective to cause the straight rods, which are constructed of stainless steel, to lengthen and, since the curved blades are connected to the straight rods, the centrifugal force is not effective to lengthen the curved blades. As a result, the expansion of the curved blades such that they would interfere with the peripheral edge of the housing has been eliminated.
In a second embodiment of Applicants"" invention, a perforated disc has been secured to the bottom surface of the spindle and to the free ends of the straight rods. The curved blades of the driven rotary member create a tremendous suction that lifts the water and debris from the surface to be cleaned. It was found that objects as large and heavy as man-hole covers were being lifted and colliding with the rotary member. This often damaged the rotary member and required repairs to maintain the efficiency of the system. In this embodiment, since the curved blades are located above the perforated disc, the water and debris is pulled up through the perforations in the disc. The disc is provided with openings that are aligned with the nozzles to permit the uninterrupted flow of water from the nozzles to the surface to be cleaned. The perforated disc was added to protect the rotary member from heavy projectiles that are lifted from the surface to be cleaned, and has succeeded in this intended function. However, in addition, the disc has added greatly to the stability to the rotary member and has eliminated the need for the supports extending between the mid-portion of the curved blades and the straight rods. In this embodiment, all rotary pick-up connections are made through screw threads and welded connections have been completely eliminated. This embodiment has greatly facilitated maintenance of the rotary pick-up member since there are now fewer parts and, as a result, disassembly and assembly can be done with simple tools and only damaged parts need be replaced.
In addition to the above improvements that are attributable to the perforated disc, a new and completely unexpected result has also been found. Without the rotary disc, some of the water and debris that was lifted by the rotary member was deflected back to the surface being cleaned. Some of the deflected material would be picked up a second time or multiple times, and some would be left on the surface that was being cleaned as the cyclone sprayer advances to new areas of the surface being cleaned. It has been found that the flow through the perforations in the disc is limited to the upward flow and once water ladened with debris has passed through the perforations in the disc, it remains above the disc and is swept to the discharge. The phenomena of the retrieved materials remaining above the perforated disc is a result of material that is deflected downwardly toward the perforated areas of the disc being deflected by the stream of material flowing upward through the perforated openings of the disc and causing it to impinge on the solid areas of the perforated disc. This deflected material then joins with deflected material that would have impinged on the non-perforated areas of the disc. The sum of this deflected material is decelerated as a result of being deflected and joins the centrifugal flow of material created by the curved blades of the rotary member. As a result, the percent of the water sprayed to the surface that is recovered is increased substantially and the efficiency of the rotary member with the perforated disc is considerably greater than a rotary member without the perforated disc.
In a third embodiment of Applicants"" invention, the perforated disc and the rotary curved blades have been cast as an integral unit. This embodiment enables a damaged rotor to be replaced at a worksite quickly and expediently by the operators of the equipment. This in the field repair entails nothing more than removing a single element and replacing the removed element with a spare unit that is carried with the equipment to the worksite. This is extremely important for the type of work that is performed with this equipment. Most clean up projects are performed when the area to be cleaned is either shut down for the clean up project or during off or non-working periods. It is important that the clean up project be completed in minimum times or by a specific time. As a result, long down periods for repairs cannot be tolerated and must be performed by the personnel who are operating the equipment. With this invention, a personnel operating the equipment in the field can make the repair in the field by simply removing and replacing the single unit cast rotor and disc 200.
Applicants have found that, in the embodiments of this invention, in which a perforated disc is used, that the size, shape and pattern of the perforations are important. Applicants have used perforations that are shaped as circles and as slots. The slots are orientated such that they extend generally concentric to the center of the disc. The liquid flowing along the upper surface of the disc is flowing in a generally radial direction from the center of the disc toward the periphery. Thus, this orientation of the disc has the liquid flowing across the width of the slots rather than longitudinally of the slots. Applicants have found that half inch circles and slots having a half inch width perform excellent in most situations. However, when cleaning runways, the half inch perforations get plugged by crumb rubber balls picked up from the runway. This has been eliminated by increasing the diameter of the circular perforations and the width of the slots to one inch. The unexpected advantage of retaining a greater percentage of the liquid that is picked up has been retained and the plugging problem has been eliminated.
This invention has been found to be very useful around airports. In the loading and unloading areas, there is often oil and fuel, and other debris, including nuts and bolts spilled on the tarmac. It is important for the safety of the airport personnel, as well as passengers as they embark and egress aircraft, that these areas of the airport be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. It is also important that the runways be cleaned to avoid dangerous situations. When an aircraft touches down for a landing, the tires must instantly begin turning at a peripheral speed equal to the speed of the aircraft. While the tires are accelerating to reach this speed, they leave rubber deposits on the pavement much the same as a race car under extreme acceleration. Over time, this deposit build-up becomes very thick and, when wet, a dangerous situation exists. Airports must maintain a friction level on runways that will insure safe and skid-free landings regardless of the weather conditions. This rubber debris is called crumb rubber and, under some conditions, forms into small balls about the size of a marble. In a recent runway cleaning project, 55 gallon drums of crumb rubber weighing 6,500 pounds was collected from the runways.
A further use of Applicants"" reclamation machine is for recovering liquid that was not deposited by Applicants"" machine. One application of this use is to recover liquid that has been used to de-ice aircraft, such as ethylene glycol. This liquid is toxic and it is unlawful to permit it to drain into the sewer systems. Applicants"" machine has the capacity to pick-up the de-icing liquid quickly before it can drain to the sewer system. Another application of this use is to pick-up the standing water on athletic fields, such as football and baseball fields.